


Reaper to the Rescue

by die_wiederkehr



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Gen, Green Witch Arc, Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 17:21:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16748326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/die_wiederkehr/pseuds/die_wiederkehr
Summary: What if Undertaker was still close by when the Werewolf Forest's miasma affected Ciel and Sebastian?





	Reaper to the Rescue

He hadn't intended to hunt the boy down. He'd meant to continue to France, continue his work, avoid the Earl and demon until a time as he'd set all his pieces into place. But he'd stopped to tease Diedrich, and a comment about the young Earl doing some work there had stopped him in the doorway as he'd made to leave. And he tried to tell himself to keep walking, ignore him, ignore them, but he couldn't.   
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"Werewolves forest, I think the letter said. Of course they'd dive headfirst into that mess." Diedrich was gruff, as always, but Undertaker had also just finished pressing his buttons. The German could pretend all he wanted, there wasn't a soul alive that would believe he didn't care.   
  
The reaper nodded and stepped outside, waiting for the doors to shut and for the darkness to envelope him before disappearing. 'That mess' he had called it. And he didn't like the implication one bit. The Earl was always getting himself into trouble but it was usually confined to England, where he had allies and additional assistance.  
  
It wasn't difficult to find the place, even less so to find the village hidden within. The miasma didn't bother him, it was more amusing than anything. And he was grateful that it didn't bother him.   
  
All the houses were dark but one room in a large manor still had a light on. A good place to start, he thought, knowing the Earl would work late into the night sometimes. A peek inside and a careful ear, he could hear a young lady talking about the boy. Something about an injury, time to heal. And he scowled. Had the demon not protected his master after all? How careless could the beast be?  
  
Unfortunately, he had no idea which room to find the boy in and he couldn't risk any servants, the demon especially, catching him exploring. Waiting the night would have to do.  
  
Come morning, he had to be a bit more cautious, with the villagers awake and active, but he'd been in situations that called for caution before. And it paid off, he found the boys room late in the afternoon. No one else was in the room but him, a bundle under a pile of blankets. At least until the gardener entered with something. The reapers haze obscured it but he could hear mention of hot milk and honey. And it made him smile. It was fond and nostalgic, and he watched for a moment until his head peeked out. Then the rage set in, seeing his face wrapped in bandages, angry sores and bruises across his face. And then he came a little further out and he caught a glimpse of more bandages all across his arms.  
  
That was too much and he opened the window. Immediately, the boy tensed and the gardener spun around, spreading his arms wide to defend his lord. And then he froze, recognition filling his gaze.  
  
"Mister Undertaker..?" He could still see the boy frozen in terror on the bed, shaking, but something was wrong. Something was very wrong.  
  
"I heard you had some work here, milord. Imagine my surprise when I realized you'd been hurt." For the moment, he allowed Finnian to guard the boy. He wasn't a real threat to the reaper anyway, but he had no desire to make himself one now.  
  
"Y-you... you're not Undertaker. Your voice- it's wrong." The mortician frowned, stepping closer, letting his steps sound throughout the room, until he was close enough. And he could see how empty that gaze was. Finny hovered still, not stopping Undertaker but wary.  
  
"It's him, Young Master. I promise." Amnesia perhaps, as well as blindness? His mind went over the possibilities.  
  
"I was away for a bit, little lord. My accent's slipped a bit." As good an explanation as any. And his accent had been a farce, the entire time he'd been growing up. Mostly a farce.   
  
And he stepped closer, reaching out to brush at the boys hair, to get a better view of his injuries, but that was when Finny's hand shot out to stop him.  
  
"The Young Master- he don't want nobody touchin' him now. Not grown ups, least ways." But there was a little 'Finny' mumbled from the bed.  
  
"If... if it's Undertaker... it's okay."  
  
"Eh?" The blonde froze, then slowly let go of Undertaker's wrist. "But you won't even let Mister Sebastian near you..."  
  
That almost had Undertaker laughing, and he'd get his laughs later on when he thought on it again, but for now he bit it back. The lordling was jumpy enough, there was no telling what his laughter might do. So he sat on the edge of the bed and gently brushed away his hair, looking over the exposed sores and his unseeing eye. It made his heart ache. Especially when the door of the room slammed open and he could smell the demon seething from the doorway. To anyone else looking on, they might not notice, but he put off a dangerous aura.  
  
The boy felt it though, seemed to know immediately who was there, flinching and clinging to Undertaker.  
  
"Go away!" He trembled against Undertaker, bandaged hands desperately grasping at his robes. And instinct had him wrapping his arms around the boy in return, protective.  
  
"I was wondering what had happened to you, butler. An injured master and you're nowhere in sight. Tsk tsk." Those eyes blazed. And he knew the demon didn't dare attack him with so many humans about and the fact that his master was curling against Undertaker. "I had thought him safe with you but apparently I was wrong-"  
  
"My Lord is perfectly fine in our care. The Lady Sieglinde-" He returned the favor and cut the demon off.   
  
"Is not here. And the boy will only allow the gardener near him, is my understanding. And myself now. The game ends now, butler. I'll be taking the boy this time." He could have, should have, taken him on the Campania. Hindsight, as always, was 20/20. Long nails brushed through Ciel's hair again. "Would that be alright with you, milord?"  
  
His answer was less an actual answer and more a fearful whimper paired with even more desperate clinging. So he lifted him into his arms, frowning a little as he spotted bandages on his legs as well, likely along his torso too where the gown he wore covered him still.  
  
"Come, my lord, I was just headed on a trip anyway. Perhaps some new scenery will help your recovery."


End file.
